In the art of printing, it is desirable that the printing device know the size of the media, such as paper, transperancies, or other sheets, in the supply tray. Without media size information, an error can occur during printing if the media size requested is not the same as the media size in the supply. If the printing system knows the media size in the supply tray, the user can be notified that the present media supply does not agree with the requested size, thereby, reducing the likelihood of an error.
Prior to the present invention, several methods of conveying the contents of a media tray to the printing device have been developed. For example, a unique tray for each size of media that the printing device can accommodate will insure that only one size of media can be inserted in the tray. The primary disadvantage with this approach is increased cost in molding numerous size and configured trays. Additional disadvantages include increased cost in maintaining inventory of these numerous trays. For the user, they must accommodate storage of those trays not presently in use. Also, the user generally must purchase, at an additional cost, trays which are not initially provided with the printer.
Another approach, allows the manufacturer to manufacture one type of media tray that can be configured for the various sizes of media. This approach reduces manufacturing cost by requiring one molding for all media trays. However, it requires that the user indicate to the printer the size of media in the tray. A common method of indicating to the printer the size of media in the tray requires the user to actually "punch out" a particular location in the media tray. Once punched out, the tray is permanently configured for that particular media size. If the user wishes to use a different media size, the user must purchase a new tray.